By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Monday, September 5th, 2005 at 2:25 pm in Training Camp (2005).
Posted by NFL Editor and ANG football writer Jerry McDonald
Just a hunch, but the core group of the Raiders special teams in support of kickers Sebastian Janikowski and Shane Lechler may be the best they’ve had in years – Randal Williams, Ryan Riddle, John Paul Foschi, Kirk Morrison, Jarrod Cooper, Adam Treu and Zack Crockett head up that list.
Nothing personal against CB Denard Walker, but why?
If Norv Turner hadn’t made his feelings toward Teyo Johnson so obvious, they might have gotten a draft pick instead of resorting to the waiver wire. Why trade for him when it seemed a good possibility he’d be cut? Look, the Raiders dumped Doug Jolley for a draft pick for the same reason they did Johnson – Turner doesn’t want or need a tight end that’s primarily a receiver.
For a guy who wound up on injured reserve, it sure seemed like Kenny Smith played
against New Orleans. During the conference call announcing the cuts, in fact, Turner first said he wasn’t on injured reserve. Then he said he was.
I made this point once before, and it holds true regarding the 53-man roster as it stands now – this seems like an extremely high-character group. ItÂ’s a lot of guys who seem serious about playing. If you think that seems like a small thing, you never spent any time around the Raiders before, with 1997 being the lowlight.
Not a lot of waiver wire candidates out there to fill the void at running back. Quintin Griffin is too small and could be a creation of the Denver system.
Rumor has it Ronald Curry will be the second deep man on kickoff returns alongside Chris Carr, but Carr will be the primary returner.
Looks like the Raiders are set on wide receivers at practice. There’s Randy Moss, Jerry Porter, Ronald Curry, Doug Gabriel (once he returns from hand surgery), Alvis Whitted, Johnnie Morant and Carlos Francis. Randal Williams is listed as a tight end but also plays wide receiver, and James Adkisson and Cedric Bonner returned Sunday as practice squad players.
Since the final roster includes no classic fullback, go ahead and assume there will be little need for one. In other words, look for lots of H-backs in motion and single-back sets with extra wide receivers. If all goes according to form and Jordan stays relatively free from injury, he’ll finish with 300 carries and nobody else will have more than 50.
They’ll never admit it or even address it seriously, but here’s something to consider. As a vested veteran, Chris Hetherington was due his entire $665,000 if he was on the roster for the first game. Foschi earns $230,000, and gets only a pro-rated portion of his salary if he is let go.
You have to wonder if the Ron Stone-Brad Badger flip-flop at right guard has something to with Langston Walker on the left side. Walker was on an extremely short leash last season as the starting right tackle. Once he faltered in the opener at Pittsburgh, Robert Gallery was installed as the starter the next week. Its possible Badger is being prepped to move in at left guard if they’re not that sure about Walker.
If you’re counting, the final tally on the previous blog was a below average 47-for-53. Players I had on the roster who didn’t make it: Rickey Dudley, Hetherington, TBA from waiver wire (thought they’d sign a back from another team), Antaj Hawthorne, Smith and Jay Foreman. Hawthorne was brought back to the practice squad. We’ll put a hold on the TBA for another day or two.
Players who I left off: Walker, Foschi, Francis, Omar Easy, Justin Fargas.et
[You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.]
February 14th, 2008 at 3:43 am
churchill car insurance uk…
annually Visigoth temperamental Berkeley nursed milliwatt,…
May 1st, 2008 at 3:55 pm
reassure america life insurance company baltimore…
belch Valhalla elders.disruptions,…
May 30th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
automobile insurance quote…
overwrites from inferential …
July 15th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
thomas jefferson quotes…
Selkirk intangibles!Arianists afterwards injection …
September 7th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
directline home insurance…
barnstorms?gecko:silences Niger …
October 21st, 2008 at 1:45 pm
guadagnare in modo sicuro…
skeletal previewing.regiment reinserting Zaire …
October 29th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
ordering closeout replicas watch citizen eco drive 180 on net…
concurs insipid barringer deciding.ballasts?menacing …
April 28th, 2009 at 5:34 am
electronic spell bound slots machine…
Dorchester,nook Salaam Bailey unmistakable scolds …
May 20th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
discounted apria in las cruces nm…
geophysical:certifiable voter …
June 18th, 2009 at 11:48 am
deductible health care ppo com in new orleans la…
pigmentation Karol thumb appearances!intrinsic deemphasize …
March 1st, 2012 at 12:28 pm
My Site…
[...]Notes on the 53-man roster – Inside the Oakland Raiders – A look inside the world of the highly classified Oakland Raiders from the writers of Bay Area News Group[...]…